AME Town Hall Tour; Heritage Conservation Act Challenges (HCA)

The Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) continues to raise concerns that proposed changes to British Columbia’s Heritage Conservation Act (HCA) could have significant negative impacts on mineral exploration – as well as on many other types of development in B.C.

This week, the AME team has been at the Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention in Victoria meeting with government, municipalities and partners. See a video update from President and CEO Todd Stone here.

Led by the Ministry of Forests, the government has extended the deadline for public and industry engagement on ‘Phase 3’ of the HCA update process from October 1 to November 14. The project aims to align the HCA with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), improve heritage conservation practices, and enhance the role of First Nations in decision-making related to their cultural heritage.

AME first highlighted challenges with the process, which promises faster and easier archaeological permits, in July. However, AME feels that many of the proposed changes will complicate the process and slow down permitting. As such we have been advocating with government about several key principles.

AME HCA Principles

• Final authority must rest with the province.
• Science and facts are foundational.
• Enforcement must remain the sole responsibility of the province.

What’s Wrong Proposed Changes?

• Lacks clarity on who has the final say – Any process must focus on speed, clarity and timely delivery of permits and must ensure that the province has the final say on permitting approvals.
• Departure from science and facts – Archeological evidence must be based on scientific facts and evidence. This includes expanding and connecting archeological sites to broader Heritage Management Zones. 
• Government giving up its enforcement role – To ensure statutory fairness and due process, enforcement must retain the sole responsibility of the provincial government.  

What’s Happening?

AME is meeting with government, including the Minister of Forests, and with other groups affected by proposed changes to the HCA to ensure it does not further slow mineral exploration permitting and projects. We are hearing similar concerns from other groups, who support AME’s direction.

AME is recommending that government reconsiders negative changes and works to quickly conduct thorough public engagement across industries, including an economic impact assessment of proposed changes.

We are encouraging members to share their individual experiences and opinions by November 14 by:

• Completing the Ministry of Forests’ online survey.
• Sending emails or letters to the Ministry of Forests outlining your concerns to [email protected]

Save the Dates – Fall Town Halls

The HCA update is just one of several major regulatory and policy changes impacting BC’s mineral exploration sector while global demand for its precious and critical minerals is set to continue to rise. To ensure AME members are up to date and that feedback is incorporated into our advocacy with government, we are planning a series of member town hall meetings in October and November. More details will be shared in the coming week.